Scar Camouflage

Updated on November 30, 2009

If you've ever seen anyone who'd been the victim of scalding or some other type of burn or injury, you know how badly you felt for them. And if you're someone who's actually experienced something of that nature, I can't even begin to image how you feel, particularly if your scar is in an area that attracts unwanted attention on a daily basis. Back in the day, heavy duty makeup was the only realistic method available for people in this situation, but there are far better options available today, and one of the most convenient is scar camouflaging. Read on to learn more about this form of permanent scar treatment.

Skilled technicians do the tattooing.

You're not
walking into your local tattoo parlor to do this, you're walking into
your local trained specialist who does this for a living. They will
know what you're looking for and they will know how to make everything
look natural, so don't worry that this is going to be like some sort of
I Heart Mom tattoo across your forehead -- this is a natural-looking,
tasteful application of pigmentation in an area where you no longer
have any.

No surgery or lasers involved.

It may sting a
bit (depending on the area you have done) but it's not going to hurt
like plastic surgery or lasers would. People describe the pain as being
equivalent to plucking one's eyebrows, and I think everyone can cope
with that for the time it takes to do this.

How long does it take and how much does it cost?

Depending
on what you need, it may last from a couple of hours to several. It
varies. For example, if you've got highly freckled skin and need a
white patch covered, it's going to take longer to blend properly than
it would for someone who only had one basic skin tone. Cost is likely
to be several hundred dollars or more.

How long will it last?

It's
called permanent cosmetics, but permanent makeup requires touching up
every half decade or so, and your scar camouflage might need the same.

Cover burn scars.

Pink or white burn scarring can easily be treated with camouflaging (a form of tattooing) that will blend your scar in with the rest of your skin and give it an almost perfect appearance -- possibly even perfect in some cases. And this is not limited to fleshy areas like the thigh, etc; you can have this done on your face by a skilled technician who already has lots of experience applying permanent makeup in delicate areas.

Hide surgical scars

If you've had breast cancer surgery you can do quite a bit to improve the appearance of the area with scar camouflaging. The same goes for those with bright white or pink scar lines from C-sections, knee surgery, heart surgery, etc. If these scars bother you, you can have them re-pigmented to match your natural coloring.

Hide birthmarks

If you've got a splotchy skin discoloration in the way of a birthmark, you can cover these with new pigmentation and blend the skin with your other coloring.

Replace eyebrows

If you've got a scar running through an eyebrow and the hair has since stopped growing, you can have that area filled back in with permanent tattooing in the same way many women have their eyebrows permanently drawn on. And if the eyebrow is completely gone, the same is true regardless; you can have an entire eyebrow tattooed.

Fix Lip lines

If you've had scarring in the lip area which has distorted the shape, you can have the appearance restored with lip tattooing, in the same manner many women have permanent lip liner applied. If you've got discolorations at all, they can be colored in with the color of your choosing.

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